Shri Pralhad Joshi (@joshipralhad), Hon’ble Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food & Public Distribution and New & Renewable Energy, while addressing the 'Stakeholders Meeting on Dark Patterns' at Vigyan Bhawan today, highlighted the challenges posed by #darkpatterns and emphasized the importance of responsible industry behavior. He remarked that the Guidelines on Dark Patterns released by DoCA earlier were the result of extensive consultations with various stakeholders, including leading e-commerce companies and industry associations and called upon e-commerce companies to comply with the guidelines. Further, reaffirming the government’s commitment to consumer protection, the Hon'ble Minister noted that there has been a significant surge in consumer complaints related to dark patterns in NCH and therefore e-commerce companies need to conduct self-audits to analyse and remove dark patterns in conformity with consumer protection . The Hon’ble Minister stressed that today’s consumers are vigilant, informed, and increasingly aware of their rights and company needs to proactively address their concerns. #darkpatterns